Dark City

Dark City, well I think we all know what I’m going to say about this one... It’s another dark and gloomy science fiction, so basically I might as well just say “read what I thought about Blade Runner”.

But it wasn’t so bad; it’s about a guy who has this group called ‘the strangers’ after him. Murdoch (main character) has some sort of power that allows him to do stuff like make doors appear to that of what the strangers have. Basically he’s being chased over several murders that he didn’t commit. Basically what happens is that Murdoch finds out that he’s form a place called Shell Beach and wants to get there in hope of finding answers etc but he can’t because no one knows how to get there even though it appears on a map of the city. I think this is due to the strangers scrambling everything when they keep stopping time etc, the thing is Murdoch isn’t affected by this because he has the same powers as the strangers but it becomes increasingly frustrating.

He wants to get back to his wife etc but he then finds out that the city is surrounded by nothing but space. The strangers use his own memories of which he doesn’t have suffering from amnesia, but using them to track him down. Murdoch eventually takes on the strangers takes on the strangers and uses his powers to bring him back to Shell Beach and meet his wife.

Yes it is a very strange and weird film, but that’s what makes it unique. From what I’ve heard the setting for the film was inspired by the work of Edward Hopper. It does capture that feel of America I thought and turns it into a whole believable world or city in this case. It’s like as if Edward Hopper has already done the concept Art for the setting of this movie and all they needed to do was plan it out where everything is going to be how it’s going to and also what they are going to have for each scene. It’s quite clever; we’re always talking about nicking ideas of what other people have done and making them into our own thing and what better example of it. Personally I always try to stay away from these miserable looking films and games that are dark and what not but I didn’t think it was bad; it had a good story to it and they managed to create this whole believable world which I liked.

I talked before about how were not ever really rewarded watching a film but this comes a long and the entire movie is pitch black throughout it until the very end we get to see this beautiful beach setting, it’s as if all the way through you want Murdoch to reach Shell Beach, the place he grew up in but you don’t get it, so the story sort of sets itself up on him gaining the power to bring down the strangers and getting what he once had back, it’s quite simple and effective whereas most films over complicate stuff with mind games etc trying to make you think more. The names of the strange too such as Mr. Hand and Mr. Book, that’s pretty simple and effective to, wouldn’t you say?